Captain
by May a Chance
Summary: Ellen Woods isn't ready to be Captain; she doesn't know how to assemble her own team nor how to run the team she needs to assemble. Oddly enough, she has a diary guiding her pathway. Cedric always knew he wasn't meant to be Captain. No pairings


**Disclaimer: I do not own this amazing franchise know as Harry Potter. All rights go to J K Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, and her publishing company whom she probably sold the rights to. This story is written purely for my entertainment with nothing to do with profit or recognition. "I write what I want to write, I write what amuses me, it's totally for myself."- J K Rowling.**

* * *

In the experiences of Ellen Walsh, emotions were both hindrance and help. Hindrance for it was hard to concentrate on either schoolwork or quidditch while thinking about _boys_ and help because it was Ellen's emotions that made her human. Naturally, the dominant emotion that long-limbed Ellen was feeling was irritation- irritation to the _extreme_. It was as though a thousand different worms- ideas, either way worked -were worming within her head and leaving her no space to think. Every idea she had yet come up with was terrible. There was the idea where she had potential Seekers dive a hundred feet and the closest to the ground would get the position. There was also the idea in which Seekers had a race around the castle, the quickest would make the cut as the team's starting Seeker- and that wasn't even the worst of the ideas. The worst was probably the part in which Beaters were being attacked by their bludgers with only a Beater's bat to protect themselves. That one was almost suicidal and sure to get Ellen kicked from not only her position but also from the school. Both were undesirable.

Ellen was the latest Captain of the Hufflepuff quidditch team and absolutely hopeless with such matters. There were plenty of people better and quidditch than Ellen, like that boy Audric Giles who lived and breathed quidditch. There were so many people that Professor Jones could have asked to be Captain aside from Ellen, so why had she been chosen?

She sighed deeply, flipping through the pages of the old, leather-bound diary once again before she caught sight of an interesting entry. The beginning of it was scribbled out with dark ink, over a paragraph gone.

_November 6, 1993 _

_To whomever may be reading this diary- aside from myself, of course -pleased to meet you.  
I'm on the quidditch team and, sadly, today was my first game as the Captain  
of the Hufflepuff quidditch team. We won. Sadly. We shouldn't have. What I'm gonna  
do is give you the advice that may help the team that _you _assemble._

_Making a team is hard, it's painful and most of all it takes guts and brains. For the first try-outs, you  
need to know who's going to be able to make the team so that you're not fighting a hopeless battle.  
Someone who can't sprint quickly and stop just as quickly can't make the cut; they just can't do it.  
It's essential to separate the possibilities from the duds (forgive my terminology) from the very  
beginning or you'll be overwhelmed._

_Try having laps done first, be it at a leisurely pace to begin with before shouting for sprints and  
__stops. Those who fall behind in the sprints cannot be on your team, especially not Seeker  
or Keeper. Those two spots require the most quick starts and stops. They'll also have a lot of  
trouble with Chasing and Beating._

_Once you have separated the unready from the ready, you must see which player is suited  
for what position. A Seeker tends to be small and lithe, though this is not always the case.  
Judge by abilities, not appearance. Judge reflexes and comfort zones. A reserved player  
will have more troubles on the pitch compared to a player who is bold; this is why Gryffindor  
always has such a fantastic team. They are bold._

_Start by finding a Seeker if you are not one. Look for players who are extremely quick to the  
sprint and just as quick to stop. Ask these players if they are comfortable with dives and drops  
and, most of all, bludgers flying at their faces. Those who feel ready for these challenges  
are your narrowed down Seeker possibilities.  
_

_Next, find your Keeper. Keepers can often play two positions so it is important that you  
see these possibilities early. These are the players who are always quick but can stop in an  
instant and have fantastic hand-eye coordination. Line them up and have other  
possible players throw quaffle at them, preferably rapid fire. If they drop the quaffle, their  
only chance is as a Beater. Those who catch it can be either Chaser or Keeper.  
_

_At this point, have these possibilities defend the posts. Have one of your current Chasers  
(there should be at least one) aim to score. Have each possibility receive fifteen shots. Those  
who miss more than two of these are either Chaser or Beater. The person who missed the  
fewest is your Keeper._

_Next you want to find your Chasers. Have the remaining possibilities pass quaffles back and  
forth. Occasionally have one of the Chasers from the previous years team change up  
the system. Maybe add a bludger to the mix. If a person drops the quaffle they will be  
one of your Beaters. If a person is hit by the bludgers, they are not fit to be on your team._

_The remaining players are your Beaters and potential Beaters. Release a bludger on the group  
while they have bats in hand. Those who cannot hit the bludgers away with force or cannot aim the  
bludgers at other players are not fit to be on your team._

And thus ended the extended entry. Ellen lowered the old diary with a mixture of a frown and a smile caressing her lightly tanned face. It was strangely logical to the Irish Keeper; she had never been bad at the other positions simply better at Keeping hence she could have played any position like the diary had suggested.

With a frownier-frown plastered upon her face Ellen began to wonder who the miracle-working author had been. Strangely enough, she had a feeling that she would never know.

* * *

The second ghost of the Hufflepuff House smiled from the shadows at the newest Captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch Team. Child of a Gryffindor or not, Cedric couldn't help but think that the girl would do better than he ever could have.


End file.
